What to know about Quebec's new cabinet ahead of swearing-in ceremony
The Parti Québécois will unveil its cabinet of ministers on Wednesday during a swearing-in ceremony at the National Assembly. The ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET and CBC will provide live coverage.
PQ members to be sworn in at 1:30 p.m. ET. CBC will provide live coverage
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Quebec's new Parti Québécois government will officially unveil which ministers will hold key roles in cabinet on Wednesday — as the swearing-in ceremony for the PQ ministers and the province's next premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, begins at 1:30 p.m. at the National Assembly.
CBC will be providing live coverage of the event.
According to Radio-Canada sources, three of the most prominent portfolios will go to MNAs Marie-Karlynn Laflamme, Joël Arseneau, and Nicolas Marceau.
Chicoutimi MNA Marie-Karlynn Laflamme will take on the role of Minister of Health, Prevention and Seniors. She was elected in a by-election in February 2026 and is one of ten caucus members who have already served in the National Assembly.
It will be her responsibility, among other things, to abolish Santé Québec, as promised by the PQ leader.
Arseneau, the MNA for the the Magdalen Islands, will become Minister of Education. He's served in opposition since 2018, making him one of the most experienced members of the PQ caucus. Nicolas Marceau will become Minister of Finance, which was his former role under Pauline Marois' government between 2012 and 2014.
Veteran politician Alain Therrien, another former PQ member who is making a return to the National Assembly after serving in Ottawa for the Bloc Québécois from 2019 to 2025, will be appointed President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Government Administration.
Sources say St-Pierre Plamondon's cabinet will have 22 ministers, 23 including himself. That's six fewer than Christine Fréchette's cabinet.
The PQ was elected to form a minority government on Oct. 5, four years after only winning three seats in the 2022 provincial election. This time, the party won 59 out of 127 seats, falling five short of a majority.
The 59 MNAs were sworn in last Thursday. MNAs for the Quebec Liberal Party and Québec Solidaire were sworn in this week.
The ceremony for the 19 MNAs of the Conservative Party of Quebec is Thursday.
Constitutional challenge looms over ceremony
Wednesday's ceremony will be historic. It will unfold against the backdrop of a constitutional challenge.
It will be the first time that the lieutenant-governor — a representative of the monarchy — will not preside over the swearing-in ceremony of a new government's cabinet at the National Assembly.
The ceremony also comes a day after court hearings at the Montreal courthouse.
A constitutional lawyer argued that a provincial law passed in 2022 that abolished the requirement to pledge allegiance to the King creates a situation where MNAs would be sitting inside the National Assembly unlawfully.
The lawyer is asking the Superior Court to issue a stay and force MNAs to take the oath between now and Nov. 17, when the National Assembly is expected to reconvene.
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